Bite Size: Elegant Recipes for Entertaining
From the elegant hors d'oeuvres to the sparkling Champagne, cocktail parties are loved by everyone. But fun as they are to attend, the thought of hosting one can be a little daunting—until now. With Bite Size, legendary chef François Payard shows home cooks how to prepare simple, sensational appetizers that will leave guests impressed and hosts with energy to spare.\ François knows how to throw a good party. In addition to his renowned New York restaurant, Payard Pâtisserie &...
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From the elegant hors d'oeuvres to the sparkling Champagne, cocktail parties are loved by everyone. But fun as they are to attend, the thought of hosting one can be a little daunting—until now. With Bite Size, legendary chef François Payard shows home cooks how to prepare simple, sensational appetizers that will leave guests impressed and hosts with energy to spare. François knows how to throw a good party. In addition to his renowned New York restaurant, Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro, he runs the upscale catering company Tastings. Several times a week, he prepares sophisticated canapés and light bites for hundreds of people. In Bite Size, he presents a collection of his favorite recipes made easy for everyday cooks. Along with chapters on meat, fish, vegetable, and cheese hors d'oeuvres, François includes a wealth of helpful hosting tips, hints, and serving suggestions—try serving soup in shot glasses, for example. The innovative recipes use simple, easy-to-find ingredients for spectacular results such as Prosciutto-Wrapped Gnocchis, Sweet Corn Madeleines with Caviar and Crème Fraîche, and Crab and Mango Salad in Apple Cups. Each recipe is accompanied by a lush, full-color photograph of the finished dish. Whip up a few of these easy Bite Size treats and pop the cork on a bottle of bubbly—it's time to enjoy the party! Publishers Weekly Budding caterers may want to pick up a copy of haute French chef Payard's latest book, for they're the only entertainers who will really be able to use it. With recipes that are stunning but labor-intensive (who wants to be standing over the stove browning tuna wrapped in phyllo while guests are in the living room sipping champagne?), this collection may be best left to those who want to serve but not socialize. Not all of these hors d'oeuvres must be made immediately before serving, however. Ratatouille in Parmesan Cups, for instance, could probably be prepared ahead of time and reheated, and Chilled Tomato Soup with Guacamole is definitely do ahead-able. White Anchovy and Tomato Crostini is a simple, elegant example of southern French cuisine. And as Payard, who has worked in some of the world's greatest kitchens (including Le Bernardin and Daniel in New York) says, Cherry Tomatoes Filled with Goat Cheese are "easy"-that is, once you've scooped out the inside of 20 little tomatoes. Kumamoto Oysters with Yuzu Sorbet and Caviar, Kataifi-Wrapped Scallops with Orange-Mustard Sauce, and Lamb and Tomato Chutney on Cumin Wafers, on the other hand, are probably out of the question for most cocktail party hosts. Photos. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Bite Size\ Elegant Recipes for Entertaining \ \ By Francois Payard \ Cookbooks\ Copyright © 2006 Francois Payard\ All right reserved.\ ISBN: 0-06-088722-2 \ \ \ Chapter One\ Chilled Asparagus Soup\ Makes enough for 20 small glasses\ Too often, asparagus soup is an unappealing, murky gray-green. This version, however, conjures notions of spring, with its bright green color, achieved by puréeing the asparagus while still hot before immediately shocking them in the ice water. Cooling them down so rapidly preserves the chlorophyll in the vegetable. Make the soup a day ahead and store it in the refrigerator.\ Ingredients:\ 40 asparagus spears 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 cup sliced shallots 3/4 cup sliced leeks, white part only, thoroughly rinsed 6 cups chicken stock Fine sea salt Freshly ground white pepper 3/4 cup heavy cream Grated zest of 1 lime\ Instructions:\ Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Fill a bowl with very cold water and ice cubes to make an ice water bath.\ While the water is heating, clean the asparagus by removing any brown or woody parts from the stalks. Cut 2-inch lengths from the tips down, and reserve the tips separately.\ Salt the boiling water and add the asparagus tips. Cook until they are tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon, and immediately place them in the ice water bath to cool them down.\ Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add theshallots and leeks and cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the asparagus bottoms, cover, and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.\ Prepare a second water bath in a bowl large enough to contain another one. Transfer the soup to a blender and purée until smooth. Season it with salt and pepper, and pass it through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Immediately place the bowl into the ice water bath to rapidly cool down the soup. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cream. You can refrigerate the soup if you want, but it should be cold enough from the ice water bath.\ Using a hand-held whisk or an electric mixer, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup cream, the lime zest, and a pinch of salt in a bowl until soft peaks form.\ Divide the soup among 20 shot glasses, filling them about two-thirds full. Garnish each glass with 2 asparagus tips and a small spoonful of the lime cream. Arrange on a platter, and serve cold.\ Cauliflower Panna Cotta with Salmon Roe\ Makes enough for 20 small glasses\ Panna cotta, an eggless custard, is most often served as a dessert, but the texture and color of cauliflower lend themselves to this creamy preparation. The salmon roe adds just the right amount of saltiness to punch up the taste of the cauliflower. Play with this dish by using yellow or green cauliflower varieties, which American caviar would colorfully complement. I serve the panna cotta in cordial glasses, but shot glasses or any other type of small glass will do too.\ Ingredients:\ 14 ounces (about 1/2 head) cauliflower 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 cups cold heavy cream 2 teaspoons (1 envelope) unflavored gelatin Fine sea salt Freshly ground white pepper 1 ounce salmon roe\ Instructions:\ Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and place them in a pot. Add the butter and just enough water to cover about one third of the cauliflower. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the cauliflower is very tender, about 6 minutes. Drain off any excess water, and purée the cauliflower in a food processor.\ Place the cream in a small pot and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let it sit for 4 to 5 minutes, then bring to a simmer over medium-low heat to dissolve the gelatin. Remove the pot from the heat and let the cream cool to room temperature. Then gently mix it into the cauliflower purée. Do not whip it. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, and season to taste with salt and pepper.\ Place twenty 1 1/2-ounce cordial glasses on a baking sheet or a tray (it makes them easier to transfer in and out of the refrigerator). Fill each glass with the panna cotta. Cover the top of the glasses with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 1 hour. This can be done up to a day ahead.\ Remove the shot glasses from the refrigerator a few minutes before serving. Garnish each glass with 1/4 teaspoon salmon roe. Arrange the glasses on a platter, and serve while still cold.\ (Continues...)\ \ \ \ \ Excerpted from Bite Size by Francois Payard Copyright © 2006 by Francois Payard. Excerpted by permission.\ All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.\ Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. \ \
\ Publishers WeeklyBudding caterers may want to pick up a copy of haute French chef Payard's latest book, for they're the only entertainers who will really be able to use it. With recipes that are stunning but labor-intensive (who wants to be standing over the stove browning tuna wrapped in phyllo while guests are in the living room sipping champagne?), this collection may be best left to those who want to serve but not socialize. Not all of these hors d'oeuvres must be made immediately before serving, however. Ratatouille in Parmesan Cups, for instance, could probably be prepared ahead of time and reheated, and Chilled Tomato Soup with Guacamole is definitely do ahead-able. White Anchovy and Tomato Crostini is a simple, elegant example of southern French cuisine. And as Payard, who has worked in some of the world's greatest kitchens (including Le Bernardin and Daniel in New York) says, Cherry Tomatoes Filled with Goat Cheese are "easy"-that is, once you've scooped out the inside of 20 little tomatoes. Kumamoto Oysters with Yuzu Sorbet and Caviar, Kataifi-Wrapped Scallops with Orange-Mustard Sauce, and Lamb and Tomato Chutney on Cumin Wafers, on the other hand, are probably out of the question for most cocktail party hosts. Photos. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.\ \
